NSW Hall of Champions

As the birthplace of modern Australia, New South Wales has provided the nation with many ‘firsts’, and laid the foundations for our great sporting traditions – cricket, rugby league, rowing, horse racing and swimming, to name a few.

Established in 1979 to pay tribute to great athletes from NSW, the Hall of Champions is a sporting hall of fame and museum which has many of Australia’s greatest names on its honour roll – names such as Dawn Fraser, Don Bradman, Dally Messenger and Evonne Goolagong – sportsmen and women who have been elevated to the realm of national heroes.

From the first honouree - 1876 sculler Edward Trickett, to pioneering figures such as Fanny Durack – Australia’s first female Olympic swimming gold medallist, new inductees are added every year. More recent champions include Ian Thorpe, Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, Paul Kelly and Steve Waugh.

The ‘Wall of Fame’ displays photographs of over 330 athletes covering 49 different sports, depicting the memorable moments and moving performances which have inspired us and filled us with wonder. A touch screen interactive provides more information on each athlete.

Athletes are nominated once a year for inclusion in the Hall of Champions by the peak NSW sporting bodies. They are short-listed by the selection committee, with final approval by the Minister for Sport and Recreation. The Hall of Champions induction is the high point on the museum’s annual calendar.

We hope that the Hall of Champions is an inspiration to our visitors, who can read the stories of commitment, sacrifice, discipline, exhilaration, strength, fun and skill which are told here.